List of services

Regional Policy and Strategies

Providing advice, input into and development of regional strategies, including economic, spatial, sustainable development, health and social strategies. We can also provide supporting baseline analysis and evaluation of the impact of policies, projects and programmes on the local and regional economy. We provide a range of products which can identify the social, economic and environmental impacts of economic, industrial and social change.

Evaluation

We can provide a range of evaluation services for a wide range of policies, programmes and initiatives including Sure Start, New Deal for Communities, PFI and LIFT schemes, Community projects and many more.

Integrated Impact Assessment

Our unique Integrated Impact Assessment model allows us to provide analysis covering the social, economic, environmental, equalities and health impact of projects, policies and plans. We have developed this unique integrated impact assessment tool from our experience of carrying out social and economic audits for regional government, carrying out equalities impact assessments under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act and developmental work on Health Impact Assessment.

Modernisation and Public Management

Developing innovative approaches to improve the quality of governance and service delivery. We specialise in linking service delivery to the acheivement of wider goals such as economic development, regeneration and social inclusion, based on principles of building organisational capacity for change management.

Procurement and Options Appraisal

We can advise and assist in options appraisal and provide support in designing and writing procurement strategies. We specialise in strategic procurement for sustainable development.

User and Employee Involvement

Our unique track record of working with public bodies, trade unions and community groups makes us ideally positioned to develop innovative solutions to involving the public, stakeholders and staff in modernisation, planning, strategic development and change management. We have produced several innovative guides to user and employee involvement including the IDeA guide Working Together for Best Value, Frontline Involvement, and Public Service Practice 7: User/Employee Involvement in Best Value, PFI and Partnerships.

PFI and Public Private Partnerships

We have detaied experience and expertise in the assessment and appraisal of Private Finance Initiative and Public Private Partnership projects in health, education, housing, waste management, street lighting and local government, including Strategic Service Delivery Partnerships. We also have experience in developing in-house alternatives and organisational capacity building dating back to Compulsory Competetive Tendering in the 1980s.

Service Transfers and Externalisation

We have vast experience of researching and assessing the impact of service transfers and externalisation in local government and other public sserviices. We can assist in strategies to oppose and develop alternatives to service transfers and to protect staff and service users in the transfer process.